Here I Stand

Audio Player

So what’s the context as we come to 1 Samuel 12? Well go back for a moment to v13-15 of 1 Samuel 11.

Following the victory over the Ammonites – that’s people not fossils – and Saul’s humble declaration in v13 that the victory belonged to the Lord – that the Lord had rescued Israel, Samuel perceives that it’s the appropriate time for the people to renew their allegiance to the Lord – to reaffirm the kingship (v14) not of Saul but of the Lord. Yes Saul would be confirmed as God’s chosen king in the presence of the Lord but Samuel wants to inaugurate Saul’s rule in a manner demonstrating that the continued rule of the Lord as Israel’s Great King is in no way diminished in the new era of the monarchy. So Samuel calls for an assembly to restore the covenant between the Lord and his people. And this took place at Gilgal, which brings us to chapter 12 and to Samuel’s speech. So what does Samuel say and what can we learn from Samuel’s speech for today? Well four main areas as part of this whole theme of kingship, of submitting to God as our true King, of not being able to serve two masters, of where our heart really is, the first of which brings me to my first heading and to v1-15.

1. THE CASE AGAINST US v1-15

Look first of all at v1-3:

Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and grey, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. (1 Samuel 12v1-3)

When Samuel presents the newly inaugurated king Saul to the people, he seeks to establish publicly his own past faithfulness to the covenant as leader of the nation. Why? Does he want to show off? No, his purpose is to provide an example for Saul. Samuel stands as a man of faith in God, as someone who has faithfully communicated God’s Word and served God and his people. He has not used his position for personal gain (v3-5). Whose property had he taken? Whom had he oppressed or crushed? How many pay offs had he accepted? What accounts had he laundered? Here Judge Israel vindicates Defendant Samuel completely. And it’s a reminder to those of us who are in leadership roles in the church and indeed outside the church to be an example to those we serve, to our children and to those who will be the next generation of Christian leaders both in the church and also out in the world.

Paul writes to Timothy, one of the next generation of church leaders of the first century AD, and by extension to us: “Watch your life and your doctrine closely.” Where do you stand? If you’re standing in Christ are you being an example? Are you bringing God’s Word to those around you? Are you inviting people to Christianity Explored? Do you take a stand for Jesus Christ when necessary? Do people know where you stand? If you were standing trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?

It’s also a reminder to continue to pray for the Queen, as Paul urges us to do again in his first letter to Timothy. Her Christmas Day broadcast just a few weeks ago was remarkable. It was a clear and simple gospel message. And it’s a reminder too that we should pray for the Royal Family as a whole, especially those next in line to the throne, that they too might stand in Christ.

But now the defendant turns prosecutor against Israel and the Lord is the Judge. Samuel has been faithful and so has the Lord. Look at v6-7:

Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your forefathers up out of Egypt. Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the LORD as to all the righteous acts performed by the LORD for you and your fathers. (v6-7)

And Samuel then points out a pattern in Israel’s history. Crisis, cry for help and deliverance through a leadership raised up by the Lord. Look at v8:

“After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the LORD for help, and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your forefathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. (v8)

But as in v9 the memory of the Lord’s righteous acts soon dissolves in Israelite amnesia when under threat. Only this time the amnesia is worse. Look at v12:

“But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king.” (v12)

Did you notice? This time there’s no cry for help but rather a demand for a king. No seeking deliverance from the Lord but rather specifying the method in which deliverance must come. No appeal to the true King. No trust in the Lord to send adequate leadership as he’d always done. They think their help isn’t in the proven arm of the Lord but in a new form of government. As someone has put it they cried: “A King or bust!” rather than “In God we trust”.

Now you might be thinking how faithless can Israel get. Had they not learnt by now that God is faithful? But what about us? This unbelief of Israel can so easily be us when we’re facing difficulty or danger, when we’re under attack. And we needn’t be facing an Ammonite rampage to slip into a quiet attitude of Israelite unbelief. Whenever the latest crisis comes, whether on the job front or perhaps when everyone is refusing to come to Christianity Explored, we can quietly think, “God can’t provide in this; he has no provision for me in this” Which is all very faithless too. God is able. He is in control. He is faithful.

So now they had a king (v13) and the alternatives were clear for both people and king. V14&15:

If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God—good! But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers. (v14-15)

Which leads us to my second heading:

2. THE FEAR UPON US v16-19

“Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon the LORD to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king.”Then Samuel called upon the LORD, and that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel. The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.” (v16-19)

Why would thunder and rain so get Israel’s attention? Why would it result in such conviction of sin? Because they knew this was no mere thunder and rain. It was wheat harvest time so May/June, the start of the dry season. This weather then just did not happen. And it signified what has already been made plain in 1 Samuel – it signified how God viewed their passion for a king. At last they got it. You see only when God’s people see their sin from his perspective is there hope that they will turn from it.

I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced a mystery odour in your kitchen. I certainly have. Sometimes it turns out to be a mouse enjoying the advanced stages of rigor mortis at our expense! Eventually the stench fed determination until we discovered the offender. But without that increasingly obnoxious smell we wouldn’t have eliminated the problem. And there’s a similar problem going on in v16-19.

You see how can the living God get you to fear your subtle idolatry, be alarmed by it, be repulsed by it, or even become aware of it unless he shows you how it smells to him?

And he impresses this on his people with a sign of his holy anger. And yes (v18&19) fear of the Lord’s righteous anger opened the way to repentance. Now some of you might be thinking isn’t it wrong to motivate by fear? So why did Paul write Colossians 3:6 after Colossians 3:5? “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature…because of these the wrath of God is coming.” Surely what really matters is whether there’s a true basis for fear. And if God grants us a sight of our own sin and of his displeasure, we can be sure that he doesn’t do so merely to see us tremble but to see us tremble and be restored. You see here in 1 Samuel 12 we see both the kindness and severity of God as Paul put it in Romans 11:22. Here the Lord intends fear as the way to faithfulness. Yet (v25 and note the warning to individuals, to leaders, to Christian denominations, to nations who will not respond) if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.” It’s a warning to the church and to this nation.

John Newton, the writer of the hymn Amazing Grace, was made to realise the stench of his slave trading and other sins and their consequences and was brought to faith in Christ. He wrote “Twas grace that taught my heart to fear”, which brings us to my third heading:

3. THE GRACE OVER US v20-25


What does God do with his people when they’ve committed spiritual disaster? What does he say to us when we’ve apparently come to see how ugly our sin really is? Well have a look at v20:

“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. (v20)

Here’s a future and a hope. Look at the rest of his answer through Samuel:

Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. (v21)But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. (v24)

Do you get it? You see you don’t go back and wallow in your guilt, relive the tragic mistake, the big one that’s soured your life. You don’t make yourself miserable by bathing your mind in the memory of your rebellion, punching the replay button and going over the whole messy episode in lurid and precise detail as though misery makes atonement. No you turn to the Lord and go forward in basic, simple, wholehearted fidelity to the Lord from that point on, remembering what great things he’s done for you and in response to the great things he’s done for you in Christ (v24). Don’t be seduced by useless idols.

If you’ve turned to and are trusting in Christ, then you’ve been forgiven because of Christ’s death on the cross in your place. God has dealt with your sin. It’s as if it’s been cast into the bottom of a lake and a sign has been put up saying, ‘No fishing’. Paul in Philippians 3:13-14 says:

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind [and remember in the past Paul had been involved in ordering the killing of Christians] and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3v13-14)

Don’t dwell unhelpfully on the past, don’t get caught up in the past, don’t get seduced by useless idols which can do you no good; but rather look forwards and upwards and press on in and with Christ, fearing the Lord and serving him wholeheartedly in response to the great things he has done for us.

But some of you might be asking, “How can God be like that?” Why will he still accept those who’ve committed treason against him? Because he’s the covenant God. Or in the words of v22:

For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. (v22)

The Lord’s decision has been to have a people and he will! He will never go back on that decision. After all, his whole reputation, in other words, his name is wrapped up in that.

I don’t know if you have unwritten laws operating in your home. One of ours is don’t flush the loo when someone’s in the shower. It’s meant to be merciful. Because if someone does flush the loo when the shower’s in use the person in the shower could be scalded. When it does happen you can become all hot and bothered and wondering who’s forgotten. When one of my children did forget not to flush they first went silent and then started saying ‘Sorry dad, remember you love me.’ In other words because of who you are, you are committed to act in a certain way. And that’s what Samuel’s telling Israel in v22. Look at it again. Since the Lord has been pleased to make you his own people, he will not forsake you. He does not abandon the commitments he makes.

Who needs to hear that this evening? Here is grace greater than all our sin. You can’t silence v22. Literally it reads:

For the Lord will never cast away his people because of his great name; for the Lord has been pleased to make you his very own people.

What a word to any who are downcast. But remember too that you are called to fear the Lord and to serve him faithfully with all your heart, not to earn salvation, but in response to the great things he has done for you (v24). And as Paul says in Romans 6:1-2:

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Romans 6v1-2)

So in v16-25 we learn that we must see our great evil (v16-19) but also the Lord’s great steadfastness (v20-25). Only the latter keeps us from despair over the former. It’s not only by grace alone that we become God’s people but by grace alone that we remain his people, a people called to serve him as our King with all our heart. All of which brings me to my fourth and final heading:

4. THE MAN FOR US v23

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. (v23)

And of course today we should not sin by failing to pray for one another and for this nation. Nor should we neglect to teach the way that is good and right – Jesus Christ. Today Christians need to be on the front foot. But we must not miss the chief application here and who this passage points forward to.

You see if the rejected God refuses to forsake his people, how can his rejected servant do so? Samuel promises to fulfil a ministry of intercession and instruction on Israel’s behalf. In his priestly intercession and prophetic instruction Samuel filled the offices of both priest and prophet for Israel.

Now in such offices, indeed as Prophet Priest & King, we have one who is far greater than Samuel – Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man. And how we need him. No less than Israel. Surely we must stifle our arrogance in assuming that only ancient Israel is an unfaithful people. Surely we must confess that we stand – if we do – only because there’s a Man who stands in the breach for us before God. One who as our Prophet has called us to take his yoke upon us and learn from him (Mt 11v29). One who as our Priest always lives to intercede (Heb 7v25) for his weak, sinful, faltering and covenant breaking people.

Back to top